Sunday, March 30, 2014

1948 Allard L type in very nice condition.
Using a crashed Ford V8 coupé on to which he had grafted the body from a
Grand Prix Bugatti, racing driver Sydney Allard constructed one of the
most unlikely of all pre-war trials specials. However, the Allard
Special’s lightweight construction and relatively powerful American V8
engine, although not the first such combination, demonstrated the
formula’s potential and provided the inspiration for future imitators,
including Carroll Shelby who acknowledged Allard’s influence on the
Cobra.
After WW2, Allard progressed from special-builder to motor manufacturer,
though the latter activity was really little more than a means of
financing the company’s competition programme. Post-war Allards combined
the same virtues of light weight, independent front suspension and an
abundance of American V8 power, which had been features of that first
trials special of the mid-1930s. These favourable characteristics
enabled Allard to establish a formidable competition record in the
immediate post-war years, Sydney himself finishing 3rd at Le Mans in a
J2 two-seater and winning the Monte Carlo Rally outright in a P2 saloon.
Introduced in 1946, the L-type employed Allard’s trademark independently
suspended ‘split’ front axle and transverse-leaf rear end in a chassis
6” longer than that of the contemporary K-type, the extra length being
used to accommodate two rear passenger seats. Like the vast majority of
production Allards, the L-type used Ford/Mercury components, these being
readily obtainable from Ford in the UK, the choice of engines being the
3,622cc Ford V8 or modified 4,375cc Mercury. A mere 191 examples were
produced between 1946 and 1950, only 10 of which are currently known to
the UK Allard Register.
We were just fortunate enough to purchase this rare and very cool
looking car and are offering her back to the market at only $67,500 /
obo / trade up or down..